Automobile radiator protective device



Nov. 10, 1964 J. L. LANE 3,156,297

AUTOMOBILE RADIATOR PROTECTIVE DEVICE Filed Sept. 15, 1960 INVENTOR Jamel; L. Lane United States Patent 3,156,297 AUTOMOBILE RADIATOR PROTECTIVE DEVICE James L. Lane, Blythe, Calif., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Walking Stick Radiators, Inc., Blythe, Calif., a corporation of California Filed Sept. 15, 1960, Ser. No. 56,296 6 Claims. (Cl. 165-119) The present invention relates to automobile radiators generally and in particular to a protective device for an automobile radiator.

Automobile radiators are subject to corrosion and accumulation of radiator sludge and no practical means has been proposed or is in use for preventing the formation and accumulation of sludge in the bottom pan of the radiator.

An object of the present invention is to provide a protective device for an automotive radiator which prevents the accumulation of sludge in the bottom pan but permits the upper pan of the radiator to collect the accumulated sludge in a place where it easily flushed from the radiator.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a protective device for an automobile radiator which is simple in structure, unique in operation, novel in arrangement, and one which prolongs the life of the radiator for an indefinite period.

With these objects in mind the following description of the protective device of the present invention will be clear when viewed in connection with the annexed drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the device of the present invention,

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the bottom of the upper pan of an automobile radiator with the device of the present invention installed in the tubes of the radiator,

FIGURE 3 is a view in elevation of an automobile radiator with a portion of the upper pan broken away to show the arrangement and installation of the device of the present invention, and

FIGURE 4 is a perspective exploded view of a modified form of the invention.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral designates an automobile radiator generally having a plurality of vertically disposed tubes 12 opening into and depending from the bottom 14 of the upper pan 16 of the radiator 10.

The bottom 14 is provided with spaced openings each of them receiving the upper end of one of the tubes 12.

The present invention consists in an improvement to the radiator 10 and it comprises a plate 18 having a plurality of holes 19 and a plurality of vertically disposed tube elements 20, each having the lower end portion inserted into and supported in one of the holes 19 with the upper end of each element 20 bent back upon itself and spaced above the pan bottom 14 as in FIGURE 2. Each tube element 20 is in registry with one tube 12 of the radiator 10.

The fact that the upper end portion of each tube element 20 faces downwardly toward the pan bottom 14 prevents any sludge from entering the tube 12 through the tube element 20 with the result that the sludge in the radiator will settle on the top of the pan bottom 14 exteriorly of all of the tube elements 20. e

ice

Each tube element 20 is substantially flattened so as to present as narrow an orifice at the upper end as is possible to screen out any foreign material in the water in the pan. The tubes as illustrated are elliptical in crosssection to fit the holes 19 and said narrow orifice is of smaller minor dimension than that of the minor diameter of the elliptical tubes 20. The orifice between the curved members 21 and 22 is continued on both sides of the tubes 20 as shown by the darkened spaces in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4.

In FIGURE 4, the plate 18 is omitted and the tube elements 20 are inserted directly in the holes 21 in the radiator pan bottom 14.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with an automotive radiator having an upper water pan including a bottom and a plurality of vertically disposed tubes depending from said pan bottom and opening into said pan, the improvement consisting in a device to prevent radiator sludge from entering said tubes, said device comprising a plurality of vertically disposed tube elements each having the lower end portion supported on the upper end of each of said tubes, the upper end of each tube element being open and bent back upon itself and vertically spaced from the bottom of the upper pan.

2. In combination with an automotive radiator having an upper water pan including a bottom and a plurality of vertically disposed tubes depending from said pan bottom and opening into said pan, the improvement consisting in a device to prevent radiator sludge from entering said tubes, said device comprising a plurality of vertically disposed tube elements each having the lower end portion inserted into and supported in one of said tubes, the upper open end of each element being vertically spaced from said pan bottom and bent back upon itself and facing downwardly.

3. In combination with an automotive radiator having an upper water pan including a bottom and a plurality of vertically disposed tubes depending from said pan bottom and opening into said pan, the improvement consisting in a device to prevent radiator sludge from entering said tubes, said device comprising a plurality of vertically disposed substantially flattened tube elements each having the lower end portion inserted into and supported in one of said tubes, the upper open end of each element being vertically spaced from the upper pan bottom and being bent back upon itself and facing downwardly.

4. In combination with an automotive radiator having an upper water pan, a bottom member and a plurality of vertically disposed tubes depending from said bottom member and opening into said pan, the improvement consisting in a device to prevent radiator sludge from entering said tubes, said device comprising: a member disposed in the upper water pan overlying the tube openings of said bottom member, said member provided with a plurality of holes, and a plurality of vertically disposed tube elements having the lower ends thereof directly communicating with said holes, the upper end of each tube element being bent back upon itself and open and vertically spaced from said first member.

5. In combination, a plate formed with a plurality of elliptical openings therein, tube elements rising vertically from the plate, with their bottom ends secured within said openings, each tube element being flattened at its upper end and curved to present two substantially parallel members forming between them a narrow orifice directed toward the plate, said narrow orifices being of smaller minor dimension than that of the minor diameter of the tube elements and extending on both sides of said parallel members for the length of the curved portions, whereby the narrow orifices will screen out larger particles of foreign material in the fluid passing through the tube elemcnts.

6. The combination in an automobile radiator of a plate formed with elliptical openings, tube elements having their lower ends communicating with the openings of said plate, the upper ends of said tubes having a batfied top portion comprising two spaced apart curved members having a narrow orifice between them directing water toward the plate, the spacing apart of said curved members being less than the minor diameter of the elliptical tube members and continued on both sides of the curved 4% portion, whereby to restrict passage through the orifice of foreign material in the water.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,409,273 Beam Mar. 14, 1922 2,023,920 Eisinger et a1. Dec. 10, 1935 2,121,708 Miguel June 21, 1938 2,149,065 Miguel Feb. 28, 1939 2,228,819 Emmett Jan. 14, 1941 2,498,594 Tomel Feb. 21, 1950 3,016,067 Edmonds Ian. 9, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 184,653 Great Britain Aug. 24, 1922 

6. THE COMBINATION IN AN AUTOMOBILE RADIATOR OF A PLATE FORMED WITH ELLIPTICAL OPENINGS, TUBE ELEMENTS HAVING THEIR LOWER ENDS COMMUNICATING WITH THE OPENINGS OF SAID PLATE, THE UPPER ENDS OF SAID TUBES HAVING A BAFFLED TOP PORTION COMPRISING TWO SPACED APART CURVED MEMBERS HAVING A NARROW ORIFICE BETWEEN THEM DIRECTING WATER TOWARD THE PLATE, THE SPACING APART OF SAID CURVED MEMBERS BEING LESS THAN THE MINOR DIAMETER OF THE ELLIPTICAL TUBE MEMBERS AND CONTINUED ON BOTH SIDES OF THE CURVED PORTION, WHEREBY TO RESTRICT PASSAGE THROUGH THE ORIFICE OF FOREIGN MATERIAL IN THE WATER. 